Milestones IV
by DrawnToDarkness
Summary: Fourth in the series. Before they can make plans for the future, they first need to save it. Set two years after Milestones III.
1. Anticipation

Title: Milestones IV  
Author: DrawnToDarkness  
Rating: T overall  
Pairing(s): Jess/Becker, Abby/Connor, Matt/Emily  
Spoilers: General knowledge of the show and anything that's happened in the Milestones series up until now.  
Disclaimer: Still. Not. Mine. Seriously. *pout*  
Summary: Fourth in the series. Before they can make plans for the future, it first needs to be saved. Set two years after Milestones III.  
Author's Note: Welcome to Milestones IV. A little warning before we begin: this will be quite unlike the other collections in the series. There will be a tiny bit of fluff but overall, given the subject of the story, this is likely to be a little bit darker than what we've seen so far. I'm sorry about that, but it's necessary to get it out of the way, so the fluff can come back! ;)

Prompt: Anticipation  
Rating: K+

* * *

Two years had passed since both the day he and Jess had been married and his unplanned trip to the future with Matt. Two admittedly sometimes stressful but always worthwhile years he wouldn't change for anything. A handful of bad anomalies and their related incursions aside, they had been the best two years of his life – three, really, including the year he and Jess had spent together before getting married.

Two years since that day, though.

But he hadn't forgotten. Wouldn't let himself forget. He recalled with startling clarity every second of the time he'd spent through the future anomaly.

Every. Single. Second.

And he remembered the shadow in the future version of Jess's eyes, the way his future self and Abby's had moved closer to her, as if trying to protect her from ghosts of the past.

Of his – _their_ – future.

He didn't like to think about what could have happened – what would happen – to put those shadows in her eyes. Whenever he remembered it, he had to reign in the urge to suggest they go away somewhere, anywhere, far far away. Somewhere he could wrap her in metaphorical cotton wool and keep her safe, protect her from whatever lay ahead.

But he knew he couldn't do that, just as he knew Jess would never let him even if he tried.

He'd told her everything, of course; he couldn't not. For one, she'd have read it all in the reports he and Matt had to write. For another, he was determined not to start his married life by lying to his wife.

His wife.

Even after two years, the thought that Jess was indeed his wife made him grin like an idiot. He was still every bit as in love with her as he had been at the beginning – perhaps even more so.

When he'd told her the details of his trip through the future anomaly, Jess had merely squared her shoulders, a look of determination flittering across her features. When she realised how worried he was, she'd tried to smile for his sake, reassuring him that as long as they were together in the future, they could cope with whatever else fate had in store for them.

He'd expected nothing less. His wife was as brave as any one of his men, and her courage was a source of both pride and fear for him. He was just glad she was content with her role as Field Co-ordinator and had never asked to join the team at an anomaly site.

A soft sound of protest, sleepy and nonsensical, drew him out of his musings. A slow grin curled his lips as Jess frowned in her sleep, her open hand reaching out for him only to grasp at an empty space. Becker leaned down from his place of sitting on the edge of the bed on her other side, smoothing her slumber-tousled hair from her face before pressing his lips lightly against hers.

Her mouth curved into a sleepy smile beneath his, her blue eyes opening slowly to blink up at him. The frown was gone but a pout soon took its place when she realised he was already dressed and ready to go to work.

"I've got some security drills scheduled with the nightshift," he reminded her quietly, not wanting her to wake up fully given the still very early hour. "I reset the alarm already so you can go back to sleep."

She lifted a hand to take hold of his, keeping his palm against her cheek when he would have reluctantly pulled away. "I could come with you," she offered just as quietly. "I'd only need a few minutes to get ready."

"You work too hard as it is," Becker returned, arching an eyebrow as if daring her to argue.

"I'd just be watching you on the monitors. That's not hard work. I'd even say it's one of the perks of the job."

He smirked at her and shook his head. "Go back to sleep, Jess. If I can get away, I'll meet you for breakfast when you get in."

"Hmm." Tugging on his hand, she pulled him down to her level, meeting no resistance from her husband. She kissed him slowly, her hand moving to rest at the back of his neck, fingernails lightly scoring the sensitive skin there. "I wish you could stay."

"I wish I could, too." It would easy, far too easy, to give in and crawl back into bed beside her. But Becker knew he couldn't, just as Jess knew he couldn't. "I'll see you soon."

"Mmmhmm." Letting him go, Jess settled back against the pillows, her eyes sliding shut.

Becker got off from the bed and walked to the doorway, glancing back to look at her over his shoulder. Already well on her way to falling back asleep, she'd curled her body around his pillow, hugging it to her with a soft smile on her face.

He'd keep her safe, he vowed to himself. No matter what it took.

* * *

End.

To be continued in 'Farewell'.


	2. Farewell

Prompt: Farewell  
Rating: T

* * *

There was no logical way he could have known it was going to happen. He believed in following his gut instincts, not in psychic abilities, but even Becker was at a loss to explain, even if just to himself, why he'd woken up that morning feeling such a sense of dread only to have his fears confirmed by midday.

Today was the day it started; the beginning of the potential end of the world as they knew it.

The anomaly detector went off at 11.03am; it was a time he was sure he would remember. He'd been on his way to the hub, running ahead of the rest of the team, when Jess had quietly and calmly announced the location of the anomaly: inside the ARC itself.

Anomalies at the ARC rarely brought with them anything good. Even as Jess was able to pinpoint its exact location to one of the unused labs on the floor above operations, Becker struggled to keep himself from heading straight to her side instead of to the anomaly.

"Is there any sign of an incursion, Jess?"

"None so far," Jess confirmed immediately, the relief in her voice audible over the comms.

"Maybe we'll get lucky." No sooner had Connor spoken did Jess announce activity at the anomaly.

The team quickened their pace towards the lab, determined to get there was soon as possible in the hopes of preventing a major incursion.

A surprised noise escaped Jess, almost a huff of laughter but without any humour. "It's you, Matt. Another you has come through the anomaly."

For a moment, the team seemed to pause. They exchanged glances, all knowing exactly what it meant.

With a grim expression on his face, Matt silently led the way to the lab to where his future self waited.

They had to go back. Forward. To the future.

He'd known it before the future version of Matt, beaten and weary, had even said a word. Known it by the way his friend and team leader had looked at them all, an unspoken apology in his eyes.

* * *

Becker stood in the doorway to Operations, watching his wife as she worked diligently at the ADD. She knew he was there; she always did. But she was giving him time, waiting until he was ready to go to her.

Probably already aware of what he was going to say.

Matt – both Matt's – had insisted the team didn't have to go with them. It was their quest, their mission, to save the world and with it, mankind. Emily had put it best when she'd glared at them both, hands on her hips as she'd reminded them whatever was going to happen was going to affect all of them – it was their future, too.

His future, Becker knew, the one he'd hoped for and dreamt of.

The one he wanted so desperately to share with his wife.

He waited until the technician who'd stopped by Jess's desk to ask her a question had left before making his way towards her, his feet feeling like they were weighted down with lead.

He didn't want this to be it. Didn't want to say to say goodbye to her and know that if they failed, if they didn't do what needed to be done, it might be the last time he ever saw her.

As if sensing his approach, Jess turned in the big ADD chair, her blue eyes luminous as they locked with his. In the seconds it took for her to school her features into a deceptively calm expression, Becker was given a glimpse of the turmoil she was trying to keep hidden from him.

"Jess, I..."

"I know." Her smile was tremulous at best, her eyes shimmering with a suspicious gleam. "You have to go with them. I was listening over the comms."

He swallowed the lump that rose in his throat, nodding wordlessly, not trusting his voice to speak. He studied her intently, committing every inch of her to memory.

"When..." Jess cleared her throat, breaking eye contact to stare down at her hands, which where clasped in her lap to keep them from trembling. The metal of the rings on her finger, rings he'd put there, glinted in the overhead lights above them. "When are you all leaving?"

"As soon as possible. Matt – the other Matt – says it's urgent. Whatever is going to happen is supposed to happen soon so..." His voice trailed off, knowing it didn't need to be said.

"It'll be okay," Jess said softly after a moment of silence, reassurances he knew he should be giving but somehow unable to force from his lips falling from hers. "You've been to the future, right? We were both there, we were both okay, so... It's going to be okay."

If only it were that certain.

The future could change; time could be rewritten. Their time at the ARC, the experiences of those who'd gone before them, had told them that. The name Claudia Brown haunted Becker's thoughts sometimes, even though he'd never really believed that the woman had once existed.

Deciding he didn't give a damn if anyone was watching – and he suspected quite a few people were – Becker reached for her without hesitation. He drew her up from her chair and into his arms, leaning his cheek against the top of her head as she melted against him, her arms going around his waist just as tightly as his around hers.

"I'll come back," he promised her quietly, vowing to himself that it wasn't a lie.

"You'd better." Her voice was muffled against his chest but he could still hear the unshed tears. "Becker... Hil..." Lifting her head to look at him, Jess bit her lip, indecisiveness clear to see in her face. After a moment, her expression cleared and she forced a smile instead. "Please be careful."

"I'll even try to stay warm," he finished, a ghost of a smile flickering over his lips. It died quickly, and he covered the gap between them to kiss her, regardless of who might be around to witness their embrace. Her lips parted beneath his without preamble and he lost himself to the moment, telling himself that no matter how much it felt like it, it wasn't goodbye.

It couldn't be goodbye.

"I love you," Jess told him when they broke apart, her eyes locking with his once again. "And I..." Her voice trailed off and her smile faded. Something he couldn't decipher flashed over her face but was gone in an instant. "Just come home to me, okay? No matter what happens, just come home?"

"I will." As long as there was still breath in his body, he'd make sure of it. "I love you, Jessica."

"I know." She lifted herself on her tiptoes, her mouth seeking his once more.

They broke apart reluctantly a few moments later, disentangling themselves from their embrace as Lester appeared on the steps down to the hub, his expression grave after his briefing with Matt.

Meeting the older man's gaze above Jess's head, Becker asked a silent question of the man who was both their boss and the nearest thing his wife had to father. Receiving a nod in return, Becker let his arms drop from around Jess's middle and squared his shoulders against the inevitable farewell.

"Don't say it," Jess implored as he opened his mouth to say the word. "This isn't it. It's not goodbye."

Becker nodded, unable and unwilling to argue. "I'll see you soon," he said instead.

After one last, lingering look, the Captain turned on his heel and walked away, his heart breaking as much as hers as he went to join his teammates at the anomaly.

Watching them leave through the monitors of the ADD, a lone tear slid down Jess's cheek as Lester moved to stand beside her in silent support.

* * *

_To be continued in 'Mistake'. Writing non-fluff in this universe is strangely hard - I miss my established Jess/Becker squee!  
And just wondering if any of my fellow Jess/Becker shippers are watching Agents of SHIELD? The Skye/Ward relationship reminds me a little of our favourite duo - so much so I've got plans for a crossover brewing in my mind... ;)_


	3. Mistake

Prompt: Mistake  
Rating: T

* * *

Future Matt lead the team back through the anomaly. They were greeted on their return by four people, three unfamiliar faces and one who was very familiar. The Emily of the future gave her younger counterpart a pained smile and tightened her grip on the hand of the young boy of no more than four or five standing at her side.

"They didn't all need to come back with you," she told future Matt quietly. "You only needed to bring yourself."

Future Matt snorted and shook his head. "You think they would've let him come alone?"

A ghost of a smiled curled the older Emily's lips, vanishing in an instant as her ever expressive eyes began to shimmer. "It's just so difficult," she admitted softly, looking past him to the group of people standing behind him. "It's been so long..."

"I know, Em." Her grief was echoed in future Matt's voice as he covered the gap between them to touch her cheek tenderly. "But that's why they've come. So we can fix things. Make everything right again."

"And save our parents," one of the other members of the welcoming party spoke up, drawing the attention of Becker and the team. A young man of perhaps sixteen or seventeen, he shifted a little uncomfortable on the balls of his feet under their sudden scrutiny. At his side stood a younger girl of about nine or ten, her eyes wide and haunted.

Familiar.

"We're going to save them, James," future Matt promised the young man, a steely determination in his voice. "I promise we'll save them all."

"Good." James looked at Abby and Connor for a moment before giving future Matt a small nod. He moved his hand to rest reassuringly on the shoulder of the young girl beside him. "Then let's get started."

* * *

"It happened twenty years ago," future Matt explained once the group – minus the three younger members – were settled in what passed as a briefing room in the dingy underground facility. "We weren't expecting it. An anomaly opened in the ARC and before we knew what was going on, we were overrun."

"Overrun? With creatures?" Connor's eyes were wide as he leaned forward in his chair. "Don't tell me it was predators..."

"Monsters," future Emily corrected bitterly, "of the human variety."

The past team exchanged startled glances, allowing the future duo to continue the story.

"At some point in the future, the work of the ARC became public knowledge and a dozen or so private companies, not to mention several other governments, decided they wanted a piece of the action. Everyone had their own reasons, of course, and gave a number of excuses for why they should be involved but in the end it all came down to financial gain." Disgust momentarily replaced the grief stricken expression future Matt had worn since walking out of the anomaly and into his past. "Twenty years into your future, a group of these people opened an anomaly back to 2014, with the intention of taking over the ARC and seizing control before it became public knowledge."

"Twenty years ago?" Present-day Matt arched an eyebrow at his counterpart. "You don't look twenty years older, mate."

"I'm not. I'm from about ten years into your future." Future Matt glanced at future Emily – at his wife, if the matching gold bands Becker noticed on their fingers were any indication. "An anomaly for the future, to this time, opened then. It was our only chance. Because the ARC was no longer functioning, the world became overran with creatures. Predators. More people started getting involved, more groups developed anomaly opening technology. Far too many anomalies were opened far too fast and they lost control. Those of us who survived came through to this time, hoping to one day find out way back to stop it from happening again."

Present-day Matt stared at him. "Those who survived?"

"Us, the children. Abby." Future Emily's bottom lip quivered but through sheer force of will, she was able to maintain a tenuous grip on her composure. "Abby died a few months after we came here, just after Jess was born."

Becker sat up straighter in his chair, confusion on his face. Dread coiled in his stomach even as he noted Connor's stricken expression and Abby's suddenly pale face. "What...?"

"Jessica Sarah Temple," future Emily told him softly. Sympathetically. "She was named after our Jess. Just as her brother, James, was named in memory of both you and Lester."

Named in memory of. Meaning...

"Lester was the first to die," future Matt continued as the team struggled to let the revelation sink in. "He and Jess were taken hostage, tortured for information. In the end, he couldn't stand hearing Jess's cries so he started fighting back. They killed him in front of her, to show her what would happen to everyone she loved if she refused to cooperate."

"Jess was the next to go, along with yourself, Becker." Future Emily stared at him gravely. "You led the soldiers who survived in an attempt at taking back the ARC. We don't know exactly what happened but there was an explosion. Abby... Abby narrowly survived. She was there when..." Turning her gaze onto the younger blond woman, the older Emily gave her a soft, sad smile before turning her attention back to Becker. "All she'd ever say was that you refused to leave Jess. We don't know if she was wounded or already dead, just that you refused to leave her, Becker, so that day we lost you both."

It didn't surprise him, not really. If anything did happen to Jess, if she was dead or dying, Becker was certain his own death wouldn't be too far behind.

"We've been to another future," present-day Matt spoke up after a long pause. "About five years from our time. Jess was there, so was Becker. And Abby and Connor. They told us everything would be okay, that we'd be able to stop this from happening."

Remembering the way his future self and Abby had moved closer to Jess during the exchange, Becker wondered just how much they had actually managed to prevent – and how much his wife would still be subjected to.

The couple from the future sat up straighter at Matt's words, their featured arranged into identical expressions of hope – and relief.

"Then maybe you do. Maybe we do." Future Matt reached out to clasp his Emily's hand. "We brought you here so we can give you as much information as we can to help you. We have reports for you to read, as detailed we could get them. The better prepared you are, the better your chances at being able to save yourselves from ending up here."

By wordless agreement, the in-depth briefing began. Hope mingled with dread, apprehension with anticipation.

* * *

And as the couple from the future worked alongside the team from the past, in another part of the facility a radioed conversation took place.

"Mr Cartwright?" A battle-worn soldier spoke in hushed tones, keeping his watchful gaze fixed on the door of the room he was holed up in. "They're here, Sir. The old ARC's alpha team. If there was ever a good time to strike, it would be now."

Acknowledgement came swiftly, followed by the promise that the soldier would get his requested reward – the best medical care money could provide in this godforsaken place for his wife.

Ending the transmission, the soldier tried to ignore the unease in his gut, and prayed to a god he no longer believed in that he hadn't made a huge mistake.

* * *

_Uh-oh... To be continued in 'Anguish'._


	4. Anguish

Prompt: Anguish  
Rating: T

* * *

He couldn't bear it. Couldn't stand it.

Couldn't listen to it anymore.

He closed his eyes a tightly as he could in an effort at blocking out the sound, bound hands clenched painfully into fists as the sound of her sobs continued to reach him.

"Just tell them, Jess," Lester implored to the empty room, his voice weak and thin. "For God's sake, just tell them what they want to know."

The loyal Field Co-ordinator disobeyed the order, just as he knew she would have done even if she'd been in the same room and had heard his plea.

There was no way on earth that she'd give their captors the information they wanted, not a chance that she'd condemn those who worked at the ARC to an early death in order to save herself from any more pain. Especially not when her husband, along with the people she considered to be her family, could be counted amongst them.

Access codes and information, the ability to control the ARC completely, that was what their captors wanted. Information that could be used to capture the loyal ARC personnel who were still somehow evading them. Information that could be used to ensure the core team, when they returned from their untimely visit to the future, could pose no threat to the interlopers.

It was intel Lester himself had refused to share, and although Jess's refusal to do so hadn't surprised him and made him feel proud of her, he couldn't help but wish she would.

She could say anything to them, give away all of the ARC's secrets, and Lester would forgive her if it meant her cries of anguish would stop.

Having been subjected to a similar form of interrogation, his ribs aching and his face bruised and bloody, Lester hated to think of the young woman he'd come to care so much for being subjected to the same heavy handed tactics.

But when the cries did stop, Lester wasn't sure what was worse. The screams of pain and fear, or the utter silence that followed so abruptly.

"Dear God," Lester muttered, his heart pounding in his chest as his mind conjured the worst possible images. "Jess."

Please be alive, please be alive. The unspoken prayer became a mantra, repeated over and over in his mind.

Please, Jess, be alive.

* * *

Everything hurt.

Every muscle, every bone, every nerve.

_Everything_.

She could taste blood in her mouth and wasn't sure if it was because they'd split her lip or because she'd bit her tongue and the inside of her cheek too hard at the beginning when she'd been trying not to give them the satisfaction of crying out loud.

She could only see through one eye, the other swollen shut after too many blows to the face.

Her left arm hung at an awkward angle, the pain in her shoulder joint telling her it was dislocated if not worse.

Her ribs hurt, worse than she could ever remember them hurting before, and she found herself wondering how Becker had once shrugged off two broken ribs as being "a bit bruised but I've had worse."

Becker.

Another sob rose in her throat at the thought of her husband. His face swam in her mind's eye and tears ran unchecked down her cheeks, the salty moisture stinging the open cuts on her face.

Would she ever see him again? Or would she be dead before he got home? Would he know it wasn't his fault, that she didn't blame him for what happened - didn't expect him to be able to save her from the unpredictable danger? Or would he believe that he'd failed her and set off on a path of self-destruction from which there would be no return?

She knew him well enough to already know the answer and that broke her heart.

If only she'd been able to leave him with something to live for, to give him a reason to keep going even when she was gone...

If only...

"Are you ready to talk, Mrs Becker?" Her captor, whose name escaped her entirely even though she was certain he'd introduced himself, still sounded more amused that annoyed by her silence. He'd sounded amused throughout the so-called interrogation, relishing in her refusal to give him the answers he wanted and was so blatantly enjoying every second of pain he could bestow on her as a result.

"I'm not going to tell you anything." Jess was proud at how her voice didn't tremble, even as she cringed internally at the beating she knew was to come as a result.

"I expected as much. Oh, well." Her captors sigh was exaggerated and the shake of his head did nothing to distract from the sparkle of what could only be glee in his cold, cruel gaze. "I suppose we'll have to change your mind about that, won't we?"

* * *

_To be continued in 'Return'.  
And as a PS. Inspiration is pretty thin on the ground at the moment (I'm failing miserably in trying to finish my next novel for NaNoWriMo) so if anyone has any Jess/Becker prompts they'd like to throw my way (either seasonal or otherwise), please feel free to leave it in a review or PM me. (Only Jess/Becker, please, for Primeval or if you're feeling different, I'll try my hand at Skye/Ward for Agents of SHIELD.) _


	5. Return

Prompt: Return  
Rating: T

* * *

There was a scuffling sound in the hallway outside, seconds before the door opened and a protesting soldier was pushed into the room by two others – one of whom Becker recognised as Connor and Abby's future son, James.

"Tell them," James ordered the older man, pushing him forward roughly. "Tell them what you've done."

"I've only protected my family. I've done what I need to to save my wife." The old soldier looked around the room, his expression both stubborn and imploring. "And not one of you would do differently."

"What have you done, Simmons?" Future Matt got to his feet, his eyes narrowed.

"He's only gone and told Cartwright they're here," James answered for him, fury – and fear – on the young man's face. "They've sent a team to the past, Uncle Matt. It's started early. It's started now."

Becker and the others were on their feet in an instant, their expressions stricken. In that moment, Becker was only able to focus on one thing, one person. _Jess._

"You have to back. Now." Urgency gave future Matt's voice a harsher edge. "Emily..."

"I'll have the anomaly reopened," his wife finished before he could make it an order, her eyes wide as she got to her feet and rushed out of the room.

"Whatever happens, you can't let them succeed." Future Matt stared first at his counterpart, and then at Becker. "They can't be allowed to take control of the ARC. No matter what the cost. The future depends on it."

No matter who had to die to achieve it.

With grim expressions and heavy hearts, the team from the past – the present – reluctantly agreed.

* * *

The corridors of the ARC were dark, save for the occasional flickering fluorescent light overhead. The team moved forward silently, unaware if their return had gone undetected or if they'd find a group of people waiting for them around the next corner. In their hands, they gripped weapons given to them by future Matt – conventional firearms rather than the EMD's the team leader was generally known to prefer.

_"Shoot to kill, not to hurt,"_ had been the advice the future team leader had dispensed along with the guns. _"These people aren't just out to destroy you. If they win, they will destroy everything."_

Though it wasn't something he was going to let himself forget, Becker would admit to anyone who asked that his first priority wasn't in dealing with the danger facing the ARC – it was to find out what had happened to those who'd been there when the interlopers had arrived. His men, the scientists and technicians whose security was his responsibility. Lester. His wife.

"We'll split up," he told the team in a hushed tone, not entirely convinced they were alone in the seemingly empty corridor. "We need to find out what happened to the others, get an idea of how many we're up against."

Matt nodded, in no position or frame of mind to argue with the determined soldier. "Emily and I will head to the storage rooms first. If any of ours have been taken captive, that'll be the only space they could've been taken and kept secure. Connor and Abby, go with Becker. Connor, see if you can find one of the laptops hooked up to the mainframe. We might not be able to lock them out completely but we can sure as hell make it more difficult for them to do anything."

"There's a loaded laptop in Lester's office, in the safe," Connor revealed quietly. "Jess and I put it there for emergencies after the last lockdown. It's one of the securest rooms in the building but not so inaccessible that we wouldn't be able to get to it."

"Then go. Becker will see to it you get there in one piece." Especially, it went without saying, that Lester's office was near Operations, and Operations was where Jess and the ARC Director should and would hopefully still be. "Keep your comms open. If you run into trouble, let us know and we'll be there as soon as we can."

They'd changed their comm. link frequency before coming back through the anomaly, knowing the old channel had more than likely been compromised. It was tempting, though, to switch back to the old channel, just to see if there was anyone out there, but to do so would be to risk compromising not only themselves but anyone who had so far managed to avoid detection.

"Good hunting," Matt murmured to Becker as Abby turned towards Operations, her husband on her heels.

The Captain could only nod, his grip on his weapon tightening as he stalked after his teammates.

Catching sight of the worried expression on Emily's face, Matt tried his best to give her a reassuring smile. "It'll be okay, Emily. We're as prepared as we can be for the situation."

"I only hope we are prepared enough," Emily responded, returning his smile with a worried frown before turning to walk beside him as they quietly continued their way along the corridor.

* * *

Operations was deserted and the hub was empty, giving the large room an eerie feel. They'd encountered three strangers on their way, none of whom had lived very long. Becker was merciless, taking the words of future Matt to heart, while his teammates exchanged worried glances behind his back and wondered what would happen if they got to the hub and their worst fears were realised.

"There should be someone here," Connor said to Abby in a stage whisper as they slowly made their way to the ADD. "If they're here for information, this is the best place to get it."

He touched one of the keyboards and the darkened screens came to life. Each and every one of them showed the same picture – text stating that an unauthorised attempt at accessing the computer system had been made and that without the correct credentials, the system would fail to restart.

"It's a failsafe programme," Connor explained as Abby frowned beside him and Becker, his gun in his hands, kept guard. "Jess and I installed it after one of the trainee techs accidentally got access to the environmental controls during a training exercise."

"Who has authorisation to lift it?" Abby asked, her voice just as quiet as his.

"Lester. Jess. Me. I think Jess was going to programme it so Becker and Matt's login details would override it, too," her husband answered after a short pause. "Not many people. Just enough to make sure it could still be accessed if something happened to one of us."

In that moment, the trio became more aware than ever that two of the people Connor had mentioned were so far unaccounted for – Matt and Emily had reported finding some of Becker's soldiers but there'd been no sign of the ARC Director or their Field Co-ordinator.

Before one of them could voice the fear that they all suddenly shared, Matt's voice came over the comm. link. _"We've got Lester,"_ the team leader reported, his tone grim. _"He's in a bad way but he should live. We're getting him situated in the panic room with the non-military contingent and then we'll be on our way to you. Connor, try and find out how many others are left in the building – and where they're hiding."_

"Will do." Connor sat down in the ADD chair – Jess's chair, Becker's brain was quick to protest – and quickly began typing at the keyboard. In an instant, the screen demanding a password vanished and white writing began to scroll over a black screen.

"Matt? Did Lester say anything about Jess...?" It was Abby who asked the question, turning away from watching her husband work his magic at the ADD to study Becker as the soldier squared his jaw in preparation for the answer.

From the silence that preceded it, they both knew it wasn't going to be good.

_"He said the leader of the group has her. Cartwright. He said... He said he could hear her screaming but she stopped and he doesn't know what happened to her. We'll find her, Becker,"_ Matt added, the words a promise. _"We'll find her."_

But whether or not she'd be alive when they did, the team leader couldn't say.

* * *

_... To be continued in 'Reunite.' And we all know Jess is going to be okay, right? Though in one future timeline she was and in another she wasn't so I *suppose* anything could really happen... depending on how evil I feel like being..._


	6. Reunite

Prompt: Reunite  
Rating: T

* * *

It was a slow process but Connor was eventually able to get most of the security cameras back online. Sitting at Jess's seat in front of the ADD, he and Abby guided the rest of the team throughout the ARC, leading them to several locations they'd been able to identify where those who'd tried to take over were trying in vain to hide after their plans had gone awry.

Four rooms were still offline, the cameras in them having been manually disabled.

Knowing that his wife had to be in one of those four rooms, his instincts screaming at him to find her sooner rather than later, Becker led a smaller group on a systematic check.

They found her in the third room they checked, in an empty cell in the menagerie.

Jess trembled as she stood on a pressure pad with far too many wires and a digital counter with numbers that kept ticking down methodically.

"Don't. Please." Her voice shook as she looked up and met Becker's gaze. Through one eye, at least. The other was swollen shut, an ugly bruise already beginning to form. "Don't come too close. I don't know if there are any trip wires."

"Jess." Becker clenched his hands into fists, tearing his gaze away from the battered form of his wife to study the ground around her. He wanted to ask if she was okay but the answer to that was obvious. He wanted to cross the room towards her, take her in his arms and hold her with every intention of never letting go, but he held those instincts at bay, knowing he couldn't risk it.

Knowing he couldn't risk her.

"There are three bombs," Jess continued, a tear slipping down her cheek as she looked at him. "One in here. I don't know where the other two are. You have to get everyone out, Becker. You have to evacuate the ARC now."

A cold sensation settled in the pit of his stomach as he remembered future Emily's words. An explosion. He'd died in an explosion, one that had almost killed Abby. An explosion he got caught up in because he refused to leave Jess's side.

"Search the building," he ordered the soldiers standing behind him without a backwards glance to check they were listening. He had faith in his men and knew they would follow him without question. "Find the bombs and disarm them. You've got..." His mouth went dry but he refused to let the anxiety he felt show on his face as he glanced at the timer on the floor at Jess's feet. "Fifteen minutes. Go."

Fifteen minutes.

As they filed out of the room behind him, Becker lifted his hand to his comms. "Matt, we have a problem."

_"I heard."_ Matt sounded out of breath, as though he were running._ "Every able bodied person is joining the search. Connor's got the camera in the fourth room operational; our unwelcome guests are hiding in there. Looks like they're trying to open an anomaly but not having much success. I'm heading there now myself to make sure they can't go anywhere."_

"Good." Becker looked at Jess and felt something dark rise in his chest. They'd get through this, he promised himself. They'd live through it this time and so would the people responsible. And then he'd find out which of them was responsible for hurting his wife and make sure whoever it was couldn't hurt anyone else.

Carefully walking around the edges of the room, Becker followed the wires from the pressure pad Jess was standing on to the explosive device in the corner of the room. He crouched down beside it, conscious of the sharp intake of breath behind him.

Even as he looked at the myriad of wires and C4, he heard the soldiers he'd sent off looking for the others confirm that they'd found them – and that they doubted they could be disarmed in time. It wasn't what he wanted to hear, especially as he had his own doubts about being able to figure it out.

They needed a specialist, Becker thought grimly. Someone who knew exactly what they were doing. But to get that person there within the fifteen minutes they had would be impossible.

"You need to leave." Jess's voice was quiet but still somehow uncomfortably loud in the otherwise quiet room. "Please, Hil. Get everyone out. Get as many of the creatures out as you can. No one else needs to… to die."

Whirling around to face her, away from the bomb that threatened her life, Becker stared at her with eyes that stung despite his best efforts to keep his emotions in check. "I am not leaving you, Jessica." He crossed the space between them carefully, stopping when he stood in front of her. "I'm not leaving you."

A ghost of a smile flickered on her lips at the repetition of the words, a memory of another time and another bomb springing instantly to mind. "You have to. Please." She glanced down at her feet and Becker followed her gaze, swallowing hard at the sight of the electronic bracelet around her ankle. "If I move off this pad, even just an inch, the bracelet will trigger that bomb, which in turn will trigger the others. _Please_, Hil. Just go."

He clenched his jaw and reached out to her, his fingertips gently touching the soft skin of her cheek, now marred by red marks and bruises. He opened his mouth to speak to her but words failed him, his throat closing painfully as he gazed at her in silence.

"I love you," she told him softly, not daring to lift her own hand up to cover his. "I'll always love you. But I need you to do this for me, Becker. I need you to live and that means you have to leave."

* * *

_To be continued in 'Refuse'. We're now over halfway through this story, as far as my plan goes!_

_And if anyone is interested in the Agents of SHIELD/Primeval crossover I mentioned a couple of chapters ago, I've written one (well, Jess & Becker meets the SHIELD team) and posted it over at Archive of Our Own. It's Jess/Becker and Skye/Ward and since I'm in love with those characters all being together, there'll probably be a few more stories about them at some point. Not sure about posting crossovers here so haven't as of yet done so. _


	7. Refuse

Prompt: Refuse  
Rating: T

* * *

"No." For a split second, he wasn't sure what he was saying 'no' to. Whether it was leaving her or living without her. In truth, Becker knew it was probably to both, and at the back of his mind he wondered when it was exactly that he'd begun to think of life in terms of 'before Jess' and 'with Jess'– 'without Jess' simply wasn't an option.

He'd never been the type of man to be dependent on one person; he'd always kept his distance, making sure that he never got so close to someone that he couldn't foresee a way of living without them. His relationship with Jess had changed that. Even near the beginning, when they'd been in that in-between phase of people who were more than friends but weren't quite ready to be lovers, he'd known there was something different about it, that something inside him had changed.

It wasn't really that he needed her to function; he'd done so before her and he could probably do so without her. The difference was that he didn't want to. He couldn't imagine living the rest of his life with the only the memory of her and their relationship to keep him warm at night, to keep the shadows that permeated his life at bay and he couldn't – _wouldn't_ – no matter what anyone said find someone to replace her.

"I'm not leaving you, Jess," he told her instead, his voice hoarse as he blinked. He'd tell himself later the stinging sensation in his eyes was caused by sweat beading on his brow and running down his face, even though he knew all too well that it wasn't. "We'll either both survive this, or…"

The 'or' went without saying.

Jess shook her head minutely, afraid to move too much given the burden of knowing too many lives depended on her being able to stay as still as possible. "You have to go. I can't let you do this, Hil. I can't let you die..."

"You're not in any position to stop me." Becker arched an eyebrow when she stared at him, jaw agape. "I'm staying here, Jess."

His tone firm, he turned away from the tears running down her cheeks and strode back towards the bomb. Kneeling down in front of it, his brow furrowed as he studied the wiring and tried to remember the training he'd undertaken earlier on in his career.

When the door to the room opened, he spun around, finger poised over the trigger as he lifted his gun.

Abby froze, her eyes wide, and lifted her hands in a universal sign of surrender. "Don't shoot."

It took him a second longer than he'd like, but Becker eventually lowered the gun. "What are you doing here?"

Abby glared at the rough tone but her expression softened when she caught sight of Jess. "I'm here to keep Jess company. Matt wants you to go to the labs and check out one of the other bombs."

"I'm not going anywhere." Becker scowled at the thought.

"He thinks there might be a way to stop the timer," Abby told him quietly. "It'll buy us time, Becker."

And time was something they desperately needed.

"You're our best chance," Jess chimed in, her voice shaking only a little. "Our only chance." Another tear slid down her bruised cheek as Becker turned to face her fully. "Please, Becker. For me if not for yourself. Even if Matt's wrong and there's no way to stop the timer... You can come back if you have to."

There'd be time enough for that and only that, Becker thought, clenching his jaw.

_"Please, Hil."_

It was the plea that did it, the break in her voice.

Becker bit back a sigh, wondering if when he'd stopped being able to deny her what she wanted – wondering if he'd _ever_ been able to deny her what she wanted. "I'll be back soon," he told her brusquely, before turning his attention to Abby. "You stay here, you watch the door and you shoot anyone you don't recognise."

Abby nodded, lifting her hand to show him the gun she held. "I won't let anyone hurt her, Becker. I promise."

"Again," Becker muttered under his breath, taking one last look at his wife before forcing himself to stride out of the room. "You won't let her get hurt _again._"

And if anyone got by Abby... If someone hurt Jess again... Becker swore to himself he'd make sure they'd pay.

* * *

"You have to get out of here," was the first thing Jess said when Abby slowly walked around to face her. "You have to make him leave, Abby. Shoot him if you have to. With an EMD, of course, or a tranquiliser gun but please, please get out of here."

Abby shook her head at her friend's pleas, her heart breaking as she was able to see the full extent of Jess's injuries for the first time. A surge of anger ran through her, of protectiveness for the young woman standing – almost literally – on a ticking time bomb in front of her. This was the woman who'd given herself and Connor a home without asking for anything in return, who'd offered them an unconditional friendship before she'd even had a chance to get to know them.

"We're not going to leave you, Jess," Abby said eventually, her heart aching in her chest but resolve strengthening at the distraught expression on Jess's face. "We'll sort this out. I promise. Becker and Matt will find a way to stop the timer, then we can get the bombs disabled and get you off there and we'll deal with the people who did this. It's going to be okay." The blond woman gave her a smile that was almost one hundred percent bravado. "It has to be okay, doesn't it? Becker and Matt saw the future..."

"The future can change," Jess pointed out, unwittingly reminding Abby of the future she'd just come from. "And if it does, you need to be there for him. Promise me, Abby. Promise me you'll make him see that it isn't his fault."

It wasn't a promise Abby could make. She opened her mouth to speak, wanting to assure Jess that she would, but found all she could do was close it again, lips in a thin white line as she struggled to meet the Field Co-ordinator's gaze. "You're not going to die here, Jess. None of us are. Not today."

And even as the door opened behind them, Abby was determined to make sure it was true.

* * *

_To be continued in 'Avenge'.  
... And if there's anyone interested, The Jecker Library over on Tumblr are having a Jess/Becker Christmas Fanfiction Exchange! So if you're willing to write someone a story and have a story written for you in return, go sign up now! (You have until the 5th December to sign up!)_


	8. Avenge

Prompt: Avenge  
Rating: T

* * *

"This could all have been avoided, Mrs Becker. If you'd just told me what I needed to know, we would have left you and your friends alone. But you refused, so now you'll die here. You will all die here. Oh." The man stopped speaking as he noticed Abby for the first time, a frown arranging his features before it cleared. "Abigail Temple. You look so much younger now than when we last met."

Her eyes narrowing, Abby took a step forward, moving around Jess to place herself between her friend and the newcomer. "And you would be...?"

"I'm insulted you don't know." The man laughed, a cruel sound, and Abby saw Jess flinch out of the corner of her eye. "My name is Leon Cartwright. I'd have thought you might have heard about me."

"I've heard a couple of names recently. All belonging to egomaniacs out to destroy the world." Abby tightened her grip on the gun in her hand, the weight of the cool metal unfamiliar but still somehow comforting. "You're not going to get away with this, Mr Cartwright. Our people are rounding up yours as we stand here."

Cartwright only laughed and shook his head. "It won't do you any good. We're all going to die in that case and you all have the delightful Mrs Becker here to thank for it." He shook his head and clucked his tongue. "If only you'd been more forthcoming, Jessica. All of your loved ones could have been spared."

"Don't listen to him, Jess." Abby spoke through gritted teeth. "We'll all be okay."

"But if you're not, it'll all be my fault." Jess's voice was hoarse with tears. "Please, Abby. _Please_. Don't let me be to blame for this."

"It's a bit late for that, Mrs Becker." Cartwright laughed again and took another step forward. He arched an eyebrow and smirked when Abby lifted her hands and pointed the gun she held in his direction. "You make an impressive guard dog, Mrs Temple, but please don't point that at me unless you've got the nerve to use it."

"Oh, I have the nerve and I'll use it if I have to." The smile on Abby's face was cold and without humour. "Don't worry about that."

Cartwright's smirk slipped for a moment. "I'm sure we could come to some sort of compromise, Mrs Temple. There's still time for you and your husband to get out of this alive. You could help us. Come back with us to our time."

Abby stared at him incredulously. "Are you serious? You're trying to make a deal? You honestly think I'd leave my friends, my family, and help you create a future where nothing can survive?"

"That isn't what we're trying to achieve, Mrs Temple, no matter what Mr Anderson might have told you." Cartwright shook his head and sighed heavily, his expression pained. "We're trying to create a better future. A safer future. One where mankind survives and can control the anomalies to prevent these creatures from taking over."

"The only part of that sentence I believed is the part about you wanting to control the anomalies." Abby readjusted her grip on the gun. "You don't care how it affects anyone else, just about how much you can gain from it yourself."

Instead of denying her claims, Cartwright laughed again. He took a step closer, his eyes growing cold when the blond woman shot him a warning glance. "Just leave, Mrs Temple. While you still can. My dear Mrs Becker and I have unfinished business to attend to."

"Unfinished business?" It was Jess who asked, her voice quiet and not quite as steady as she'd have liked it to be. "I have nothing more to say to you, Mr Cartwright."

"And that there is the root of our problem, Jessica." All but ignoring Abby and the gun she had fixed on him, Cartwright glared at Jess and took a few steps around the protective blond so he could see the Field Co-ordinator's face clearly. "This could all have been avoided if only you had cooperated. I would have given you the world if you'd agreed to help us. Now all I can give you is death."

"I'd rather have death than anything else you could offer me." Squaring her shoulders, Jess glared at the man responsible for causing the nightmare she'd found herself in.

Cartwright sighed. "And that is such a shame. We could have been good together, you and I. If only we'd had more time together, I'm sure I could have convinced you to see things my way."

"Nothing you could possibly say would ever be enough to make me change my mind." Jess stood firm, her bound hands clasped tightly together over her stomach.

Cartwright moved closer but stopped when he heard the click of a trigger being cocked. "Come now, Mrs Temple. This is getting tedious. Run along and save your husband. I know that's what you really want to do."

"You have no idea what I really want to do," Abby seethed. "Jess? Did he do this to you? Is he the one who hurt you?"

"Does that really matter?" Cartwright wondered. "Either I am or I ordered it. What are _you_ going to do about it?"

"It matters," Abby responded quietly. "To me and to Becker and to everyone else who loves her, it matters. Jess?"

The lowered gaze and slight nod said it all. Jess bit her bottom lip as it trembled despite her best efforts. "It was him. But I didn't tell him anything, Abby, I swear I didn't."

"I know." Abby spoke soothingly, calmly. _Too_ calmly. "Close your eyes, Jess."

"What? Why?"

"Just close them," Abby instructed, softly but firmly. "You don't need to see this."

"Oh, please, Mrs Temple. Enough with the theatrics..."

A loud bang, impossibly loud, sounded in the room. There was a sharp intake of breath, a low groan, and the sound of something heavy hitting the floor with a muted thud.

"Abby." Jess stared at her friend with wide, disbelieving eyes. "You just... You... Why?"

"He can't hurt anyone anymore. Not again." There was a moment of silence as guilt passed over Abby's features but her expression soon hardened. Memories of the future she'd so recently left, of the deaths the dead man lying at her feet had caused and the faces of the two children who had been forced to grow up without their parents flooded her mind and strengthened her resolve. "There might be others to come but at least we're all safe from him."

Jess wasn't entirely sure that was true, not feeling very safe with a ticking time bomb not more than a few feet away but she kept her silence and hoped Abby was right.

* * *

_To be continued in 'Together'.  
Eep. Now who saw that coming? Not me! ;)_


	9. Together

Prompt: Together  
Rating: T

* * *

At some point during their confrontation with Cartwright, the numbers on the counter at Jess's feet had stopped. Neither Abby nor Jess noticed, not until the door to the room opened again, this time to admit friends rather than foe.

Becker faltered for only a second on seeing the body on the floor. He looked from Cartwright to the gun Abby was in the process of lowering and gave her a small nod. Whether a nod of thanks or understanding, Abby wasn't entirely sure and wouldn't be for some time to come. Connor, meanwhile, hot on the Captain's heels, paused for a moment or two longer. He stared at the dead man for almost a full minute before turning his gaze to his wife.

"Are you okay?" He asked Abby quietly, covering the gap between them to stand beside her.

Annoyed and frustrated at the tears that suddenly sprang to her eyes, Abby took a second to compose herself before answering her husband. "I will be," she said just as quietly. "When this is over and we're all safe."

"Good news on that front," Connor told her, wrapping his and around hers and squeezing her fingers tightly. "Time is no longer an issue. Becker and his team stopped that. Lester's calling the bomb squad in so all we've got to do is sit tight and wait."

"How long?" Jess watched Becker as he moved to stand between her and the bomb, almost as if trying to shield her from it. "I've still got to stand here, right? If I move, if the bracelet isn't over the plate or my weight shifts too much, we'll all still die."

"Everyone else is being evacuated," Becker assured her, a little too calmly. She could see the concern in the depths of his eyes, the lingering worry that something might still go wrong and cost them their lives. "It's going to be okay, Jess. You'll see."

"I wish I could be so sure." Sweat broke out across her brow, her breath quickening as her pulse began to race. "I don't know how long I can stay standing, Hil. I don't think I can do it."

Becker took a step closer to her, his expression determined. "You can and you will, Jessica."

The couple stared at one another in silence for several long moments. Jess saw Becker's indecision, his hand twitching at his side as he was torn between the need to touch her and the fear that doing so might have a negative impact on the situation they were in.

"Becker?" It was Connor who spoke, his voice quiet as he reluctantly left his wife's side and approached the couple. "The bomb?"

"How long did Lester say it would take for the disposal unit to get here?" Becker asked without taking his eyes off Jess.

"Thirty minutes. An hour at most." Connor glanced at Jess, his expression growing a little worried at the way she stood trembling on the pressure pad.

Her face was pale, with the exception of two spots of colour rising in her cheeks. She swallowed and seemed to sway a little on the pressure pad. In all honesty, she looked like she could fall down at any second.

Thirty minutes would be too long and an hour would definitely be too late.

"Just go," Jess begged, her blue eyes pleading as they locked with Becker's intense hazel stare. "Please, Hil. Just go." When her husband only stared at her, his jaw clenched, she turned her imploring stare onto Connor and Abby. "Please. Leave. All of you. I'll do my best but I don't want you all being here in case... _Hil_!"

"Becker!"

"Mate! What are you doing?"

Ignoring all three voices, Becker moved around to stand behind Jess and took a small but determined step. His front pressed against her back as he stood on the pad behind her, his arms sliding around her waist as he drew her against him gently.

"I am not leaving you," he told Jess quietly, tightening his arms around her as though he half expected her to struggle against him. "And now you don't have to worry about standing on your own. I've got you."

"Hil." Even without seeing her face clearly, he knew she was crying. He could hear the tears in her voice, feel them in the way she trembled against him. "You are an idiot, you know. The biggest, stupidest, sweetest idiot there is."

He nuzzled her temple, letting his hands rest gently over hers were they were clasped over her stomach. "We're in this together," he promised. "No matter how this ends."

"Mate..." With wide eyes, Connor looked like he was about to protest but one glance at Abby had him closing his mouth and nodding in empathy. If the situation was reversed and it had been Abby in Jess's shoes, Connor knew he wouldn't have hesitated in following Becker's lead. "I'll go and check how soon we can get the bomb disposal team here."

By silent agreement, Abby joined him, leaving the couple alone in their perilous position.

"You shouldn't have done this," Jess murmured, letting her head fall back against his shoulder. She manoeuvred her hands so she could grasp his despite the cable ties cutting into her wrists. "But thank you."

"You don't need to thank me." He pressed his lips to the skin of her neck and felt her pulse jump in response. "There's nowhere else I'd rather be."

"Really?" She laughed a little humourlessly. "I'd quite like to be on a remote beach right now. Somewhere hot, just the two of us."

"Sounds nice." Better than nice, Becker thought to himself, and promised he'd make the daydream a reality as soon as he could. "Would you be wearing a teeny tiny bikini on this beach?"

"Mmmhmm. Maybe not one with yellow polka dots, though." He heard the smile in her voice and felt relief flood through him that she still had the ability to laugh and tease. "You, me. Sun, sand and sea..."

"We'll go soon. Take a few days." She'd need a few days at least – probably nearer a few weeks – to recover and he had a feeling he'd need just as long to regain his equilibrium. "You can ask Lester."

"Me? Why me?"

"He won't say no to you."

There was a short pause before Jess responded quietly. "I said no to him."

"That's nothing new, sweetheart. You're the only one who can get away with it."

"No, I mean... He told me to tell them. When they brought him back and took me. He told me to tell them what they wanted to know and I said no."

Of course she did. And of course Lester would have told her to. Their boss was protective of all of them, no matter how much he denied it, and he was fiercely protective of Jess.

"He'll understand," Becker reassured her, tightening his arms around her when he felt her begin to tremble again.

"I could hear him scream," Jess continued, sounding a little distant. "It was him. Cartwright. He enjoyed it. I think... I think he liked that we wouldn't tell them anything. It meant he had a reason to hurt us."

His jaw clenching, the Captain had to remind himself that Cartwright was dead. He made a mental note to thank Abby for that later, and forced himself to ask the question he'd been dreading. "Jess. Did he... Did Cartwright...?"

"_No_." Her reply was instant, emphatic. And still she shuddered in his arms at the thought. "I think maybe if he'd had longer... Maybe. But no. Thankfully, _no_."

A small bit of the tension knotting his stomach eased. "Good. Good." It was something at least. A small mercy he'd forever be grateful for.

They stood in silence for several, long minutes. Though the countdown at their feet was no longer ticking down, they were each aware of every second of every minute that passed.

"Hil?"

"Jess."

They spoke at the same time, breaking the silence that had descended. "You go." He gave her hands a reassuring squeeze when she hesitated. "I was just going to ask where you wanted to go away for a few days."

"Anywhere," Jess's answer was immediate. "Somewhere quiet. Just the two of us."

"I'll agree with that." Quiet, alone, together. It sounded perfect to him. "Now, what were you going to say?"

"I..." Her voice failed her and she cleared her throat before trying again. "It's just that I think I..."

The sound of the door opening again interrupted, and the room was suddenly transformed into a hive of activity as three members of the bomb disposal unit filed in closely followed by their teammates, the latter of whom were insisting they had to be there.

"Jess?" Becker prompted as the soldiers immediately got to work.

"It can wait," Jess murmured, a soft sigh escaping her at the thought that their ordeal was almost over. "It can wait until later."

* * *

_To be continued in the last chapter: 'Over?'_


	10. Over?

Prompt: Over?  
Rating: K+

* * *

They could relax. _Finally._

For now, Matt's expression added silently, but Becker was willing to overlook that for the moment.

Those from the future who'd survived the take back of the Arc were being detained as an injured but argumentative Lester debated what to do with them with the Minister's office. Officially, they didn't exist. Officially, making them the guests of Her Majesty's Prison Service was a risk that they weren't sure should be taken. It would only take one of them to open their mouth, to start blabbing about the future and anomalies, and the carefully constructed cover story that had been shaken but somehow had withstood the events of convergence would be blown to shreds.

Lester had suggested finding an anomaly and sending them through it; Becker suspected his boss was only half joking.

In the end, the decision was made for them when a fourth anomaly opened in the ARC. A small team from the future came through to take the prisoners into custody, and, as their team leader was a familiar young man without a haunted look in his eyes and a cheeky grin aimed at the two people who would one day be his parents, Lester was only too happy to let them go.

The ARC Director had been seen to shake his head as he poured himself another supposedly medicinal whiskey, and could be heard lamenting over the fact that someone had allowed Connor to reproduce.

"Something you want to share with the rest of us, Abby?" Matt teased as the anomaly to what appeared to be a happy future closed.

The blond woman blushed book shook her head. "Absolutely not."

"Not yet," Connor added, his grin every bit as cheeky as that of his future son. "Still got time, haven't we? Couple of years yet."

The couple exchanged a smile that could only be classed as sappy and Becker made a show of rolling his eyes as he left the team to go and find his own wife. He told himself, quite firmly, that it wasn't jealously he felt as he made his way through the familiar hallways towards the medical bay when Jess was still being seen.

He was happy for them, for all of them. For Connor and Abby and their future son and daughter. For Matt and Emily and the little boy the team leader was being extremely careful not to mention for all his teasing of his teammates.

He was happy for them.

He was.

Besides, he told himself, it didn't mean anything that there'd been no mention of children in his and Jess's future. For one thing, they'd both been dead in one of the timelines they'd visited. Blown up by the very bomb that could have killed them mere hours ago.

And in the other future, in the one they'd hopefully restored, they'd been together. Thankfully. And as long as they were together, whether they were blessed with children or not, Becker was sure they'd be happy. Content. As long as they stayed together.

With that thought in mind, he quickened his pace to the med bay, determined to find Jess and take her home. Lester had all but insisted they both take two weeks off and Becker was only too happy to oblige, determined to take advantage of single every second of it.

"Ah, Captain Becker." Doctor Ellis greeted him outside of the room he knew Jess to be in. Her smile was nervous, Becker thought, and narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "We're almost done with Jess now. Ideally, I'd like her to stay at least overnight for observation but she's quite adamant that she be allowed to leave."

"Is that going to be a problem?" While he understood Jess's reluctance to stay overnight in the med bay – God knew he'd spent too much time in it himself – he would argue with her if the doctor thought a stay was really necessary. "Does she need to be kept in?"

"Not if she follows the instructions we've given her," Doctor Ellis answered after only a short pause. The brunette woman gave him another not entirely convincing smile. "Just keep a close eye on her, Captain. If she experiences any discomfort or complains of any pain, take her to the nearest A&E and have them call me."

Becker gave her a small nod, already planning to stay awake all night if he had to, willing to hold an overnight vigil over his wife it meant ensuring she was okay. "Can I see her now?"

The doctor hesitated again, and this time Becker was sure it wasn't his imagination. "She's asked for a few moments," Doctor Ellis said eventually. "She's been through quite an ordeal and..."

"And that's why she shouldn't be alone." He drew himself up to his full height, and gave the doctor a challenging glare. "I'm going to see her."

"Of course." With a glance over her shoulder at the room Jess was in, Doctor Ellis sighed and reluctantly moved aside.

Without anyone standing between him and his wife, Becker wanted no time in pushing through the door into Jess's room. He stopped when she looked up from staring at the bandages adorning her wrists, alarmed and pained by the tears he could see shimmering in her eyes.

"Jess." Quickly crossing the room to stand in front of her, he touched her bruised cheek tenderly and tilted her face upwards. "Sweetheart, what's wrong?"

She didn't answer at first, instead shaking her head before leaning into his touch. "Can we leave now?" She asked quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Of course." He leaned down and brushed his lips against hers softly. "We can go wherever you want."

"Home." She climbed down from the bed carefully but kept a tight grip of his hand. "I just want to go home."

* * *

Home was the same Edwardian house her parents had lived in, the home of Jess's childhood, and the place they'd gotten both engaged and later married in. It was their sanctuary, the perfect place to escape to at the end of a long day, the one place they could go and happily shut out the rest of the world as soon as the doors were closed behind them.

Becker took a moment to lock it, turning back to see Jess standing at the bottom of the staircase leading up to the first floor of the house. She wore an odd expression on her face, one he couldn't identify nor could he remember having seen it before.

When she held her hand out for him, he wasted no time in taking it and let her lead him silently through the quiet house.

As he'd expected, she didn't stop on the first floor, bypassing the two bedrooms that were used by family and friends when they stayed over and the smaller room that had been turned into a small home office-come-library. Without saying a word, Jess led him to the top of the house but surprised him by walking past the door to the master bedroom and instead led him to the rarely used spare room their room shared a landing with.

She didn't let go of his hand as she opened the door. In fact, her grip seemed to tighten as she gently tugged him with her to stand at the window overlooking the small front garden and quiet street beyond it.

They stood in silence for a while, with Jess staring out of the window and Becker staring worriedly at Jess.

"Do you think it'll be too noisy?" Jess asked eventually, tearing her gaze away from the window to look at him. His confusion must have shown on his face because she smiled at him softly. "I know it's quiet with the window closed but in summer, we might need to keep the top ones open a little and I'm not sure if the traffic will be too loud."

"It's not a busy street," Becker pointed out, his brow furrowed as he tried to make sense of the conversation. "I can't imagine there'll be that much noise but Jess... Why would we need to open the windows? We're never in this room."

"So she doesn't get too hot, of course. Or he. This room's a sun trap in summer, and that'll probably be around the time the baby moves out of our room and into this one. I thought this would be a better place for the nursery, keep the baby close. And then when she or he is older, they can choose... _Hil_!" A gasp escaped her as he reached out suddenly and grabbed her shoulders.

Mindful of the injuries her clothes were hiding, Becker turned her to face him fully and stooped a little so they were standing eye-to-eye. His heart was pounding, his palms felt damp. Heck, his knees felt weak and the last time he could remember feeling like that was on his wedding day to Jess.

"Jess, are you tell me...? Are we...?"

"Having a baby? Yes." A small, shy but undeniably happy smile slowly curled the corners of Jess's mouth. Her cheeks flushed prettily beneath the bruises. "Well, I'll be having it, I suppose. You can't exactly help out there but we're both going to be parents. I thought... I suspected I might be but I was worried I might have... I thought something might have happened when Cartwright hurt me. Doctor Ellis did some tests, though, and she confirmed it. I'm pregnant, Hil. We're going to have a baby. Is that... Is that okay?"

"Okay?" Stunned that she even needed to ask, Becker wrapped his arms around her in a hug as tight as he dared, pressing his face into the crook of her neck as tears stung his eyes. "It's far more than okay, Jessica."

He moved away just enough to be able to lift his head, gazing down at her in wonder before closing the gap between them, claiming her lips in a sweet and tender kiss.

The nightmare was over and something good was about to begin.

* * *

_And that brings us to the end of Milestones IV - bonus points and Jecker kisses for those who guessed ;)  
__Coming hopefully to a screen at some point in 2014: Milestones V aka Return of the Fluff. Hopefully... *innocent*__  
_


End file.
